It was 7 am and we had just finished our breakfast at our beachside resort when we decided to leave for a full day of adventure and sightseeing. Google maps at the ready, gas tank half full (hopefully that will do), camera strapped, shades on and we were on our way to explore the province of Chanthaburi.

The day looked perfect – sun was out, sky was blue and the weather, well it was hot and humid but what else would you expect from the tropics of Thailand?

Driving along the coast

First on the agenda was to drive the coastal, scenic roads of rural Chanthaburi. Nervous but excited we made our way along the long stretch of winding roads that separated the cliff hanging mountain on one side and the seemingly aqua blue Gulf of Thailand on the other.

It was a fun, relaxing and beautiful journey through the coast as we enjoyed listening to Taylor Swift’s ‘Wildest Dreams’, Demi Lovato’s ‘Cool for the Summer’, Incubus’s ‘Drive’ and other beach-y tunes on repeat.

Every now and then we would stop to take pictures or take slight detours because we saw some sign to beaches and points of interest that were not in our to-do list. We welcomed it with open arms. In fact we hoped we would come across these detours.

On we went on one of the detour and quickly realized we were on a more off-the-beaten track as the roads were steeper and more difficult to navigate. As we drove further into unknown, the roads became more and more rocky. Our car shifted and jolted side to side, trying its best to climb up a hill. It was as if we had been hit with a tiny earthquake as the rocks buckled between our tires.

With a last roar of the engine we reached the top only to come stumbling down the other side to an empty space bordering a security gate. Guess we had to walk from here if we had to reach the lighthouse. Unsure how long and far the hike would be, we decided we had come far enough and took some pictures of the coast.

Soon after we backtracked our way to the next destination but not before making a pit stop at a serene and relatively untouched beach nearby.

Ao Krathing Beach

Where the heck is old town?

After a half-day of exploring the rural areas and national park, we made our way to the city. Unlike Bangkok, Chanthaburi city wasn’t a stark contrast from the rural areas. We could only describe it as a mixture of several cities we have visited in the past – Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and some influences of Chinese, Vietnamese and European architectural designs.

We were on a mission to find the city’s old town – in particular, the Chanthaboon waterfront communal district, after reading raving reviews about it on TripAdvisor.

We couldn’t find it on our map though. We looked all over the internet and there were vague directions and addresses but none of it helped us. At this point Google Map had completely failed us.

We literally drove in circles for about an hour.

Should we ask the locals? Should we just park somewhere and walk around? Maybe take a taxi there…but wait a minute, there wasn’t a taxi or any public transport in sight.

Ah, the tourist information center, 1 km away. Yes! We followed the directions. Left. OK. Right. OK. We were sure we drove more than 1 km now but there was no sign of it. Another circle around the lake we had made.

Hunger was creeping in, followed by frustrations. We were hangry now and close to giving up.

OK, one more circle and if we don’t find this place, back we go to the resort.

Nope! No luck. All hope was fading so we started our way back and thought we would try again the next day.

As we were leaving, we crossed a bridge and noticed we were going over a river. “This must be the waterfront”, it hit us!

We navigated along it, going through tiny streets, barely trading bumpers with motorcyclists till we came to a notable landmark – a Cathedral. As we looked around for nearby parking, we couldn’t help admire the beauty in its simplicity.

Back to our mission. We noticed a group of people crossing a tiny bridge from across the river and we were certain they were coming from Chonthaboon waterfront district. We quickly made our way there and were thankful that we finally made it.

Still hungry, hot and flustered though, we walked along the street admiring the sights and sounds. It truly was an amazing place with so much culture, art and history behind it. It’s where things seemed to have slowed down a bit and people were living a more simple life.

As we walked through the history of Chanthaburi old town, we noticed how it tries its best to integrate old designs and culture with modern day lifestyles, evident in the shop houses, cafes, restaurants and cute bars. It was both refreshing and inspiring.

They say the journey not the destination matters and I say, they are half right. Although the journey was a bit frustrating, we were able to find interesting ways to explore city while still holding on to our mission to arrive at the destination. I’m glad we got lost and wouldn’t have it any other way because we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to tell this story.

Here’s a sneak peek at our driving route. There’s a lot more that we did.

If you liked our adventure, stay tuned for the full itinerary from our trip to this amazing province that seldom gets visited by international tourists. Chanthaburi, we love you and we shall return again!